Known from United States Patent Application publication 2010/0224384 A1 is a handheld work apparatus having an internal-combustion engine, which has a short-circuit switch, to be actuated by the operator, for short-circuiting the ignition of the internal-combustion engine. Arranged on the engine housing of the work apparatus are contacts that, when an operator-controlled switch is in the off position, are connected to each other in an electrically conductive manner. The operator-controlled switch is pivotally mounted on the engine housing. The operator-controlled switch is also used to set the position of a throttle valve and a choke valve of a carburetor of the internal-combustion engine of the work apparatus. The carburetor is usually decoupled from the internal-combustion engine in respect of vibration via at least one antivibration element. Owing to the movement capability of the carburetor and the operator-controlled switch in relation to each other, the position of the operator-controlled switch relative to the carburetor can change during operation. As a result, it is not always possible for the position of the throttle valve and choke valve to be set with the required accuracy, in one or more start positions, via the operator-controlled switch.
It is also known to fix the operator-controlled switch, used for operator actuation of a short-circuit switch and for setting at least one start position of the throttle elements of a carburetor, relative to the carburetor. As a result, during operation the operator-controlled switch moves with the carburetor, such that precise setting of the positions of throttle elements of the carburetor in the start position is made possible. In the case of such an arrangement, the contacts, with which the operator-controlled switch acts in combination to form a short-circuit switch, are arranged on the carburetor. The contacts are connected to the ignition module of the internal-combustion engine, or to ground, via electric leads that are routed via the vibration gap. The laying of the electric leads requires a very large amount of assembly work during the production of the work apparatus. The electric leads are subjected to very high mechanical loads, owing to the relative movement of the carburetor and the internal-combustion engine. In the case of servicing work on the carburetor, it is usually necessary for the electric leads to be detached and re-laid following the service, necessitating an increased amount of work during servicing.